JP6719707B2 - Medical data communication system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a communication system and a communication method for medical data including at least image data, and more particularly to a communication technique between a client device and a server device using a communication protocol according to the DICOM standard.

Conventionally, the DICOM standard (Digital Imaging and COmmunication in Medicine) is used to transfer medical image data in order to store, display, and print CT images, MRI images, and CR images from multiple devices in a hospital. ing. The DICOM standard is a standard that defines a format of captured medical images and a communication protocol between medical image devices that handle those images. Details of the standard are disclosed on the homepage of the Electronic Industries Association of North America (NEMA) (Non-Patent Document 1).

The DICOM standard was originally based on serial communication, but encapsulation by TCP/IP is performed to support networks such as the Internet. As a result, even devices from different manufacturers can be connected to each other via the in-hospital network.
For example, an image captured by an MRI apparatus conforming to the DICOM standard is transmitted to an image server via a network and stored together with a viewer ID and the like. Then, when a search request is sent from the terminal in the examination room to the image server together with search conditions such as an ID, the doctor can confirm the MRI image by returning the search result to the terminal.

By the way, in principle, in such a DICOM standard, it is assumed that devices in the same LAN are connected to each other, and there is a problem that communication by the DICOM communication protocol cannot be smoothly performed between different networks.
That is, in the DICOM standard, when establishing a communication session (Association), an IP address and port number in TCP/IP, and a unique identifier called an AE title for identifying a process of each terminal is used. However, the IP address cannot communicate when the subnet changes, and since the AE title is supposed only for the same network in the first place, it has no versatility for communicating between different networks.

As a related patent document, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for improving safety during data transfer in an image transfer system for transferring medical image data between a plurality of LANs by a communication method of DICOM standard.
In Patent Document 1, encryption relay servers P1 and P2 for encrypting and decrypting medical image data are provided in each of LAN1 and LAN2. When transferring the medical image data from the LAN1 to the terminal T2 of the LAN2, the medical image data is encrypted in the encryption relay server P1. The encrypted medical image data is transferred to the encrypted relay server P2 of LAN2 via the Internet. The encrypted relay server P2 decrypts the encrypted medical image data and transfers the medical image data to the requesting terminal T2. As a result, in the terminal T2, desired medical image data can be displayed on the CRT and diagnosed.

Although this document describes connecting different LANs and performing encryption at that time, it is premised that communication by DICOM can be performed across LANs. Therefore, terminals T1 and LAN2 of LAN1 are preliminarily set. The terminals T2, 3, and 4 need to be set to the LANs 1 and 2 so that they can communicate with each other.

Patent Document 2 proposes to provide relay servers P1 and P2 between the terminals T1 to Tn and the archiver and the database. When a request for medical image data transfer is input to the terminal T1 and sent to the relay server P1, the relay server P1 sends a desired request for medical image data transfer to the archiver in response to the request from the terminal T1. The archiver transfers the desired medical image data to the relay server P1. The relay server P1 stores the medical image data in the cache and transfers the medical image data to the terminal T1. This allows the terminal T1 to perform a diagnosis by displaying desired medical image data on a CRT.

The invention of Patent Document 2 overcomes the problem that the conventional DICOM standard terminal can request the transfer of desired medical image data to only one image server. By sending the request by specifying only the relay server without specifying the server, it is not necessary to send the request again to another image server, and it is possible to efficiently transfer the medical image data. ..
However, this method cannot use the existing system because the terminal and the relay server must be separated from the existing DICOM standard.

Patent Document 3 aims to provide an image diagnosis support network service system in which systems other than medical systems can communicate with each other, and the various systems can be integrated as a module. Disclosed is a system including a protocol conversion device for mutually converting a dedicated communication protocol for communicating with peripheral devices and a general-purpose communication protocol and a terminal identification device for identifying the protocol of each terminal.
The present invention is a technique for communicating between a device that complies with a dedicated protocol such as the DICOM standard and a device that does not, and does not perform protocol conversion during communication between devices that comply with the DICOM standard. Further, as described above, communication cannot be performed across different LANs.

Patent Document 4 discloses an image communication method and apparatus for acquiring an image without specifying an image storage device while complying with an existing communication standard (DICOM or the like). At that time, the purpose is to prevent unauthorized access while complying with existing communication standards.
According to the disclosure, when the image utilizing apparatus captures an image from the image archiving apparatus through the communication line, the intermediary apparatus accepts the image communication request from the image utilizing apparatus, and transmits the image communication request to the image archiving apparatus on behalf of the user. It is assumed that the intermediary device receives the image transmitted from the image storage device and performs image communication on behalf of the image utilizing device.

The technique of Patent Document 4 introduces an authentication communication interface in an intermediary device, and all communication is performed in conformity with the DICOM standard. Therefore, this is not a technology that allows only devices that can communicate with the existing DICOM standard to communicate with each other, and does not allow communication between different networks.

JP-A-11-284974 JP 2000-029971 JP 2005-252534 Patent No. 4071390

Internet URL (http://dicom.nema.org/standard.html) November 13, 2015 Search

Although the above-mentioned conventional techniques each disclose a technique for relaying communication between a client and a server device conforming to the DICOM standard, a client and a server device belonging to different networks cannot communicate with each other.

The present invention was created in view of the above problems of the prior art. Even when a client device and a server device that communicate with a communication protocol based on the existing DICOM standard are used, a client device and a server device that belong to different networks can also be used. An object is to provide a medical data communication system that enables communication.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following medical data communication system.
That is, according to the invention of claim 1, in a medical data communication system capable of communicating medical data including at least image data and using the first communication protocol of the DICOM standard, the communication network is configured in accordance with the first communication protocol. A client device compliant with the DICOM standard capable of requesting desired medical data from the server device via the server device and outputting the medical data received from the server device, and storing the medical data in the storage means, according to the first communication protocol. In addition to a DICOM-compliant server device that transmits medical data in response to a request from a client device, a first relay server and a second relay server are provided midway between the client device and the server device in a communication network path. Prepare

Then, the first relay server receives a communication establishment request from the client apparatus according to the first communication protocol, a communication establishment request receiving section that responds to the client apparatus in response to the communication establishment request, and a client. A medical data search request receiving unit that receives a medical data search request according to the first communication protocol from the device, and a second relay server toward the search target requested by the medical data search request using the second communication protocol. A second communication protocol search target transmission unit that transmits, a second communication protocol search result reception unit that receives medical data that is the search result of the search target from the second relay server using the second communication protocol, and a medical data search request reception unit And a medical data search result transmission unit that transmits the medical data search result according to the first communication protocol to the client device in response to the received medical data search request.

At the same time, the second relay server transmits a communication establishment request according to the first communication protocol to the second communication protocol search object receiving unit that receives the search target from the first relay server using the second communication protocol, and the server device. A communication establishment request transmission unit, a communication establishment response acceptance unit that accepts a response to the communication establishment request according to the first communication protocol from the server apparatus, and a first communication protocol to the server apparatus for the search target accepted above. A medical data search request transmission unit that transmits a medical data search request, a first communication protocol search result reception unit that receives a search result of a search target from a server device according to a first communication protocol, and a search for a first relay server. A second communication protocol search result transmission unit that transmits the result by the second communication protocol.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the medical data communication system, the first relay server is configured according to the destination information of the server device extracted by at least one of the communication establishment request receiving unit and the image search request receiving unit. The second relay server identification processing unit that identifies the two relay servers is provided, and the second communication protocol search target transmission unit can perform transmission to the identified second relay server.

According to the invention described in claim 3, in the medical data communication system, the first relay server and the second relay server are provided with an authentication processing unit that authenticates access from the first relay server to the second relay server. Each can be provided.

According to the invention of claim 4, in the medical data communication system, the relay management server is further provided in the middle of the first relay server and the second relay server in the communication network path, and the relay management server is the first relay server. A medical data communication system including a relay processing unit that receives communication from a relay server and transmits the communication to a second relay server, and also receives communication from a second relay server and transmits the communication to the first relay server. I will provide a.

According to the invention described in claim 5, in the medical data communication system according to claim 4, the relay management server specifies the second relay server according to the destination information of the server device included in the data received from the first relay server. A relay management unit is provided, and the relay processing unit can communicate with the specified second relay server.

The present invention can also provide the following medical data communication method.
That is, according to the invention as set forth in claim 6, there is provided a medical data communication method in a medical data communication system capable of communicating medical data including at least image data and using the first communication protocol of DICOM standard. DICOM standard compliant client device capable of requesting desired medical data from a server device via a communication network in accordance with one communication protocol and outputting medical data received from the server device; and storing the medical data in a storage means. At the same time, in addition to a DICOM-compliant server device that transmits medical data in response to a request from a client device according to a first communication protocol, a first relay server is provided midway between the client device and the server device in a communication network path. And a second relay server.

Then, the following steps are executed.
First, the first relay server
(S10) a communication establishment request receiving step of receiving a communication establishment request according to the first communication protocol from the client device,
(S11) communication establishment request response step of responding to the client device in response to the communication establishment request,
(S12) a medical data search request receiving step of receiving a medical data search request according to the first communication protocol from the client device,
(S13) A second communication protocol search target transmitting step of transmitting the search target requested by the medical data search request to the second relay server using the second communication protocol,

Next, the second relay server
(S14) A second communication protocol search object receiving step of receiving the search object from the first relay server with the second communication protocol,
(S15) a communication establishment request transmitting step of transmitting a communication establishment request to the server device according to the first communication protocol,
(S16) a communication establishment response receiving step of receiving a response to the communication establishment request according to the first communication protocol from the server device,
(S17) A medical data search request transmission step of transmitting a medical data search request to the server device according to the first communication protocol for the search target received above.
(S18) A first communication protocol search result receiving step of receiving a search result to be searched from the server device according to the first communication protocol,
(S19) A second communication protocol search result transmitting step of transmitting the search result to the first relay server by the second communication protocol,

Again at the first relay server,
(S20) A second communication protocol search result receiving step of receiving medical data, which is the search result of the search target, from the second relay server by the second communication protocol,
(S21) In response to the medical data search request received by the medical data search request receiving unit, the medical data search result transmission step of transmitting the medical data search result according to the first communication protocol to the client device is included. A medical data communication method is provided.

According to the invention of claim 7, in the medical data communication method, a relay management server is further provided in the middle of the first relay server and the second relay server in the communication network path, and the relay management server is the first relay server. A relay process for relaying each communication between the above-mentioned steps transmitted by the relay server and accepted by the second relay server and the above-mentioned steps transmitted by the second relay server and accepted by the first relay server. It may include steps.

According to the invention described in claim 8, in the medical data communication system capable of communicating the medical data including at least the image data and using the first communication protocol of the DICOM standard, the medical data is photographed or generated, and A DICOM-compliant medical data generation device capable of storing the medical data in a server device via a communication network in accordance with the communication protocol; and a medical device storing the medical data in storage means, and a client device in accordance with the first communication protocol. In addition to a DICOM-compliant server device that transmits medical data in response to a request, a first relay server and a second relay server are provided midway between the medical data generation device and the server device in a communication network path.

Then, the first relay server receives a communication establishment request from the medical data generating apparatus according to the first communication protocol, and a communication establishment request response for responding to the communication establishing request to the medical data producing apparatus. Unit, a medical data storage request receiving unit that receives a medical data storage request including medical data in accordance with the first communication protocol from the medical data generation device, and a second communication protocol using a second communication protocol toward the second relay server. A second communication protocol medical data transmission unit that transmits the medical data requested by the data storage request; and a second communication protocol storage result reception unit that receives the medical data storage result from the second relay server using the second communication protocol. A medical data storage result transmission unit that transmits a medical data storage result according to the first communication protocol to the medical data generation device in response to the medical data storage request received by the medical data storage request reception unit.

At the same time, the second relay server receives a medical data storage request from the first relay server using the second communication protocol, and a second communication protocol medical data receiving unit, and a communication establishment request to the server device according to the first communication protocol. A communication establishment request transmitting unit that transmits a message, a communication establishment response receiving unit that receives a response to the communication establishment request in accordance with the first communication protocol from the server device, and the medical data received above to the server device. A medical data storage request transmission unit that transmits a medical data storage request according to the communication protocol, a first communication protocol storage result reception unit that receives the storage result from the server device according to the first communication protocol, and a storage result for the first relay server. And a second communication protocol storage result transmission unit for transmitting the data according to the second communication protocol.

According to the invention of claim 9, in the medical data communication system, the relay management server is further provided in the middle of the first relay server and the second relay server in the communication network path, and the relay management server is the first relay server. A relay processing unit that receives communication from the relay server and transmits the communication to the second relay server, and also receives communication from the second relay server and transmits the communication to the first relay server may be provided.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a medical data communication method in a medical data communication system capable of communicating medical data including at least image data and using the first communication protocol of DICOM standard. A medical data generating device conforming to the DICOM standard capable of photographing or generating and storing the medical data in a server device via a communication network in accordance with a first communication protocol, and storing the medical data in a storage means. In addition to a DICOM-compliant server device that transmits medical data in response to a request from a client device according to a communication protocol, a first relay server and a first relay server are provided in the middle of the medical data generation device and the server device in a communication network path. Two relay servers are used.

First, the first relay server
(S30) A communication establishment request acceptance step of accepting a communication establishment request according to the first communication protocol from the medical data generation device,
(S31) Communication establishment request response step of responding to the medical data generation device in response to the communication establishment request,
(S32) A medical data storage request receiving step of receiving a medical data storage request including medical data according to the first communication protocol from the medical data generation device,
(S33) A second communication protocol medical data transmission step of transmitting the medical data requested by the medical data storage request to the second relay server using the second communication protocol,

Next, the second relay server
(S34) A second communication protocol medical data receiving step of receiving a medical data storage request from the first relay server using the second communication protocol,
(S35) a communication establishment request transmitting step of transmitting a communication establishment request according to the first communication protocol to the server device,
(S36) a communication establishment response receiving step of receiving a response to the communication establishment request according to the first communication protocol from the server device,
(S37) With respect to the medical data received above, a medical data storage request transmission step of transmitting a medical data storage request to the server device according to the first communication protocol,
(S38) A first communication protocol storage result receiving step of receiving a storage result from the server device according to the first communication protocol,
(S39) A second communication protocol storage result transmitting step of transmitting the storage result to the first relay server by the second communication protocol,

The first relay server again
(S40) A second communication protocol storage result receiving step of receiving the storage result of the medical data from the second relay server according to the second communication protocol,
(S41) a medical data storage result transmission step of transmitting a medical data storage result according to the first communication protocol to the medical data generation device in response to the medical data storage request received by the medical data storage request reception unit. A characteristic medical data communication method is provided.

The present invention has the following effects due to the above configuration.
A first relay server and a second relay server are provided midway between the client device and the server device in the communication network path, and between the client device and the first relay server, and between the second relay server and the server device. By using the first communication protocol, it is possible to use the existing DICOM-compliant devices as they are for the client device and the server device.

Further, by using the second communication protocol for communication between the first relay server and the second relay server, it is possible to construct a system that enables communication even with client devices and server devices belonging to different networks.
This enables communication even between a client device and a server device belonging to networks having different subnets or networks having incompatible destination definitions.

Furthermore, by introducing a relay management server that manages the relay between the first relay server and the second relay server, each relay can be used even if the first relay server and the second relay server are not defined with each other. It becomes possible to communicate between the client device and the server device that can communicate with the server. This makes it easy for a new relay server to participate in the network, and enables the construction of a wide area network.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described client device based on the DICOM standard that can output medical data, but also captures or generates medical data and sends the medical data to the server device via the communication network according to the first communication protocol. It can also be applied to a medical data generation device that can store data and is compliant with the DICOM standard.

1 is an overall view of a medical data communication system according to the present invention. It is a block diagram of the client apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the server apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a relay server according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart of the medical data communication method which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the protocol which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the medical data communication system which introduced the relay management server which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of a relay management server concerning a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing of the protocol which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the imaging device which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of a relay server concerning a 3rd embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart of the medical data communication method which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the protocol which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on an example shown in the drawings. The embodiment is not limited to the following.
FIG. 1 is an overall view of a medical data communication system (1) according to the present invention. As an example, a configuration is shown in which the A hospital LAN (2) and the B hospital LAN (3) are connected by an external network (4) such as the Internet.

As is well known, various image capturing devices such as CT, MRI, CR, ultrasonic examination device, and endoscopic device that capture images are used in hospitals. In addition, a client device is used to refer to these images taken in the examination stage when the doctor examines them.
The image captured by the image capturing device is stored in the server device in the hospital together with the image capturing date and the ID of the viewer, and is displayed and printed on the client device by setting search conditions from the client device and performing a search. You can do it.

DICOM standard (Digital Imaging and COmmunication in Medicine) is used as a communication protocol because not only devices of various manufacturers are used for the client device, the server device, and the imaging device, but also when the devices are introduced at different times. The DICOM standard is a standard that defines a format of captured medical images and a communication protocol between medical image devices that handle those images. Basically, the devices conforming to the standards have different manufacturers and manufacturing dates. You can communicate even if you are.

The medical data communication system (1) of the present invention also includes a DICOM viewer that is a client device (10), a DICOM server that is a server device (20), and a DICOM imaging device that is an imaging device (30). Can utilize the existing in-hospital network in each hospital.
The present invention proposes to introduce a relay server (40) into such an existing hospital network.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the client device (10) of the present invention. The client device (1) can be composed of a known personal computer, tablet computer, portable information terminal, medical dedicated terminal, or the like, and is sometimes called SCU (Service Class User) in the DICOM standard. As is well known, a CPU (100) that performs various processes, a network interface (110) connected to the CPU (100), a monitor (120) that displays a screen, and an input device (130) such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch panel are provided.

Since the client device (10) of the present invention needs to be able to output at least medical data, it may be equipped with a printer for printing, a speaker, and other devices. In that case, the monitor (120) is used. It does not have to be provided.

The CPU (100) is based on the DICOM protocol which is the first communication protocol of the present invention, and is from the DICOM protocol transmitting/receiving unit (101) and the input device (130) for transmitting/receiving medical data via the network interface (110). A search processing unit (102) that accepts the input of the above and transmits the search condition to the server device (20), and outputs the medical data, that is, the display processing unit (103) for displaying on the monitor (120) in this embodiment. I have it.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the server device (20) of the present invention. The server device (20) can also be configured by a known personal computer or the like, and is sometimes called SCP (Service Class Provider) in the DICOM standard. In the server device (20) of the present embodiment, the main function is to store the image transmitted from the imaging device (30), but various medical data such as the examination reservation information and the past interpretation report are saved. This is well known, and the present invention can be applied to the search and output of these medical data.

As is well known, the server device (20) includes a CPU (200) for performing various processes, a network interface (210) connected to the CPU (200), an external storage device (220) including a hard disk, an SSD (solid state drive), and the like. Equipped with.
The CPU (200) complies with the DICOM protocol which is the first communication protocol of the present invention, and the DICOM protocol transmitting/receiving unit (201) for transmitting/receiving medical data via the network interface (210) and the client device (10). A search execution unit (202) for searching the image database (221) in the external storage device (220) according to the search condition requested by the user.

In the existing hospital network, it is possible to output the medical data in the server device (20) by communicating between the client device (10) and the server device (20). There are some problems. One of them is that the existing DICOM standard assumes that devices in the same LAN are connected to each other, and that communication using the DICOM communication protocol cannot be smoothly performed between different networks.

In addition, when medical information is exchanged between medical facilities through a network such as regional medical cooperation, establishment of communication according to the DICOM standard is limited to operation only within the LAN network segment, and DICOM standard can be applied to other medical facilities in different network segments. However, there is a problem in that all communication cannot be exchanged even if an attempt is made to communicate.

Therefore, in the present invention, the relay server (40) as shown in FIG. 4 is introduced into each LAN (2) (3), and the client device (10) connected to each relay server (40) through the external network (4). ) And communication between server devices (20).
The relay server (40) is also realized by a known personal computer or the like, and includes a CPU (400), a network interface (410) connected thereto, an external storage device (420), and the like.

The processing unit in the CPU (400) is roughly divided into a reception processing unit (401) related to reception from the network interface (410) and a transmission processing unit (402) related to transmission, and will be described later as another embodiment. The second relay server identification processing unit (403) and the authentication processing unit (404) are provided.
The reception processing unit (401) functions as a communication establishment request receiving unit (4010), a medical data search request receiving unit (4011), and a second communication protocol search functioning when acting as a first relay server on the client device (10) side. Result acceptance unit (4012), second communication protocol search target acceptance unit (4013), communication establishment response acceptance unit (4014), first communication that functions when acting as the second relay server on the server device (20) side A protocol search result receiving unit (4015) is provided.

The transmission processing unit (402) includes a communication establishment request response unit (4020) that functions when acting as a first relay server on the client device (10) side, a second communication protocol search target transmission unit (4021), and a server. A communication establishment request transmission unit (4022), a medical data search request transmission unit (4023), and a second communication protocol search result transmission unit (4024) that function when acting as a second relay server on the device (20) side. There is.

In the figure, for the sake of distinction, the processing unit acting as the first relay server is shown on a white background, and the processing unit acting as the second relay server is shaded.
In this embodiment, the first relay server and the second relay server are mounted on one relay server (40) at the same time, but in the case of a relay server connected only to the client device, the first relay server In the case of a relay server connected only to the server device, only the function of the second relay server may be provided.

Hereinafter, description will be given together with the flowchart of the medical data communication method shown in FIG. 5 and the protocol explanatory diagram shown in FIG.
First, the DICOM protocol transmission/reception unit (101) of the client device (10) transmits a communication establishment request (ASSOCIATE_RQ) according to the DICOM standard. According to the normal DICOM standard, the communication establishment request is returned from the server device (20), but in the present invention, instead, the communication establishment request acceptance unit (4010) of the relay server (40) accepts it. (Communication establishment request acceptance step: S10)

According to the DICOM standard, the data format of the communication establishment request starts from 01h as a protocol data unit (PDU), the number of bytes of the PDU, the protocol version, the AE title (Called AE) of the server device, and the AE title of the client side. (Calling AE), variable length data, etc. are included.

Then, the communication establishment request response unit (4020) responds to the communication establishment request (ASSOCIATE_RSP) using the DICOM protocol. (Communication establishment request response step: S11)
The response has an acceptance (ACCEPT) and a rejection (REJECT). When the PDU is ASSOCIATE_AC, 0 is returned as the Result, and the others are rejection. In the case of rejection, the PDU may be set as ASSOCIATE_RJ and a reason such as the application context not being supported or the Called AE or Calling AE not being recognized can be returned.

In the present invention, when the communication establishment request is accepted, the relay server (40) may be configured to return a response without making any determination. For example, the Called ID or Calling ID is known, or the context or user included in the PDU is included. The configuration may be such that approval or rejection is determined according to the information.
Here, the explanation will be continued assuming that the approval has been answered.

Then, the search processing unit (102) of the client device (10) transmits a medical data search request (CFIND_RQ) by the DICOM protocol, and the medical data search request receiving unit (4011) of the relay server (40) requests the medical data search request. Accept. (Medical data search request acceptance step: S12)

In the DICOM standard, the data set of the medical data search request includes various tags. For example, inspection date, inspection time, receipt number, Query/Retrieve level, inspection modality, inspection device manufacturer, inspection device manufacturer. Person name, referring physician name, examination description, patient name, patient ID, patient birth date, patient gender, patient age, study instance UID, series instance UID, study ID, series ID, related to patient It includes the number of tests, the number of patient-related series, the number of patient-related instances, the number of test-related series, the number of test-related instances, the number of series-related instances, and so on.

In the above, the level of Query/Retrieve is defined by the information to be acquired, and the level structure such as PATIENT (patient information), STUDY (examination information), SERIES (series information), IMAGE (composite object instance information) have. Then, a patient has one or more pieces of examination information, and one piece of examination information has one or more pieces of series information. A series contains one or more IMAGEs.

The search request includes some search conditions such as “test date”, “patient ID”, “test ID”. In a normal DICOM system, the DICOM server (20) searches the stored medical data from these search conditions.
In the present invention, when the medical data search request is accepted (S12), the second communication protocol search target transmission unit (4021) transmits the search target requested by the medical data search request to the second relay server. (Second communication protocol search target transmission step: S13)

At this time, as a feature of the present invention, the second communication protocol (REMOTE protocol) is used for communication between the first relay server and the second relay server. The second communication protocol may formally have a part in common with the DICOM protocol, but it is a protocol designed to be used for communication between relay servers, and it is at least the destination of the second relay server and the second relay server. Information about the destination of the server device (20) connected to the relay server is included.

Then, the second communication protocol search object receiving unit (4013) of the second relay server receives the search object by the REMOTE protocol. (Second communication protocol search target acceptance step: S14)
Specifically, first, the first relay server sends an OPEN_SESSION command by the REMOTE protocol, and the second relay server returns SESSION_ID. After that, the search target is transmitted by the FIND_RQ command.

In the second relay server, the communication establishment request transmission unit (4022) transmits a communication establishment request according to the DICOM protocol to the server device (20). (Communication establishment request transmitting step: S15)
The communication establishment request is the PDU of ASSOCIATE_RQ described above, and the AE title of the server device is designated in the Called AE. The Called AE at this time may be transmitted from the client device (10) or may be configured to determine and define the destination server device (20) according to a database or the like provided in the second relay server.

The server device (20) returns a communication establishment response (ASSOCIATE_RES) according to the known DICOM standard. At this time also, two types of approval and refusal, and the reason for the refusal may be notified. If a refusal is made, the second relay server returns a response indicating refusal to the first relay server at that time. The first relay server may further return a rejection response to the client device (10). In the present embodiment, the description will be continued assuming that it has been approved.

A communication establishment response receiving unit (4014) receives a response to the communication establishment request according to the DICOM protocol from the server device (20). (Communication establishment response acceptance step: S16)
Subsequently, the medical data search request transmission unit (4023) transmits a medical data search request (CFIND_RQ) to the server device (20) according to the DICOM protocol for the search target received by the medical data search request reception unit (4011). To do. (Medical data search request transmission step: S17)

In the server device (20), the search execution unit (202) searches the image database (221) in the external storage device (220) and extracts the medical data to be searched by a method similar to the conventional one. Then, the DICOM protocol transmission/reception unit (201) transmits the search result (CFIND_RSP) to the second relay server. At this time, the search result includes not only the case where the search is successful but also the case where the search is unsuccessful.
The first communication protocol search result receiving unit (4015) of the second relay server receives the search result of the search target from the server device (20) according to the DICOM protocol. (First communication protocol search result acceptance step: S18)

The second communication protocol search result transmission unit (4024) of the second relay server which has received the search result transmits the search result (FIND_RSP) to the first relay server by the REMOTE protocol. (Second communication protocol search result transmitting step: S19)
Then, the second communication protocol search result receiving unit (4015) of the first relay server receives the medical data, which is the search result of the search target, from the second relay server using the REMOTE protocol. (Second communication protocol search result acceptance step: S20)

Finally, in response to the medical data search request received by the medical data search request receiving unit (4011), the medical data search result (CFIND_RSP) according to the DICOM protocol is transmitted to the client device (10). (Medical data search result transmission step: S21)

According to the present invention, as described above, the first relay server (40) communicates with the client device (10) by the DICOM protocol, and the first relay server and the second relay server communicate by the REMOTE protocol. The two relay server (40) and the server device (20) communicate with each other by the DICOM protocol.
As a result, the client device (10) and the server device (20) can communicate only with the DICOM protocol, which is the same as the communication in the existing network.

At the same time, a new protocol can be introduced between the first relay server (40) and the second relay server (40), so that communication via the external network (4) can be supported as in the present invention. it can. For example, the first relay server and the second relay server may be provided with respective addresses (for example, IP addresses on the Internet), and the DICOM protocol may be converted to the REMOTE protocol for communication.

Conventionally, it was impossible for the client device (10) and the server device (20) to communicate between different networks, but according to the present invention, this can be realized without changing the device side.
In addition, for example, even when devices of different manufacturers cannot utilize the expanded DICOM standard, the medical data search request acceptance unit (4011) of the relay server (40) can be made compatible with various expanded standards. Communication between them becomes possible.

As another embodiment of the present invention, the second relay server is provided in the relay server (40) according to the destination information of the server device extracted by at least one of the communication establishment request receiving unit and the image search request receiving unit. A second relay server identification processing unit (403) for identifying can be provided.
As described above, in the DICOM protocol, for example, the AE title (Called AE) included in ASSOCIATE_RQ and the packetized DICOM protocol include the IP address information of the destination server, and these are transmitted as destination information. There is.
The second relay server identification processing unit (403) can extract this destination information and identify the address of the second relay server connected to the destination server device from the second relay server database (421).

According to this method, the first relay server and the second relay server are not in a one-to-one relationship and can be freely combined. Further, since the client device (10) does not need to have the destination information of the second relay server (40), ASSOCIATE_RQ can use the conventional transmission protocol.

The destination information is not limited to being extracted from the communication establishment request and may be extracted from the medical data search request. In this case as well, the destination of the server information is included in the PDU, and the second relay server can be specified from the destination.

Further, as another embodiment of the present invention, the first relay server (40) and the second relay server (40) are respectively provided with an authentication processing unit (404) for authenticating access from the first relay server to the second relay server. be able to.
As a specific authentication method, the login ID and password of the user are transmitted when the OPEN_SESSION command (see FIG. 6) is transmitted from the first relay server by the REMOTE protocol. The authentication processing unit (404) of the second relay server (40) authenticates the login ID and password by referring to the authentication database (422). The authentication result is returned as SESSION_ID from the second relay server. When the authentication is successful, the FIND_REQUEST command is transmitted from the first relay server, and the process proceeds to the next process.
When the authentication fails, the process is interrupted at that point, the first relay server notifies the client device of the authentication failure, and the process ends.

The login ID and password may be provided in the first relay server so that the second relay server authenticates the first relay server.
Alternatively, the login ID and the password may be provided in the client device, included in the data set of any DPU of the DICOM protocol, extracted by the first relay server, and transmitted to the second relay server.

(Second embodiment)
FIG. 7: is explanatory drawing of the medical data communication system which introduced the relay management server which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.
In the present embodiment, the medical data communication system (1′) described above further includes a relay management server (50) in the middle of the first relay server (40) and the second relay server (40) in the communication network path.

In this embodiment, the relay management server (50) is connected to the external network (4), receives the communication from the first relay server (40), and transmits the communication to the second relay server (40). The communication from the second relay server (40) is received and transmitted to the first relay server (40).

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the relay management server (50). The relay management server (50) can be configured by a known personal computer or the like. As is well known, a CPU (500) for performing various processes, a network interface (510) connected to the CPU (500), and an external storage device (520) are provided.

The CPU (500) includes a relay processing unit (501) and relays communication between the first relay server and the second relay server as described above. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a protocol according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
As shown, the DICOM protocol between the client device (10) and the first relay server (40) and between the second relay server (40) and the server device (20) is the same as that of the first embodiment.

On the other hand, the OPEN_SESSION command from the first relay server (40) is sent to the relay management server (50) according to this embodiment, not to the second relay server (40). The protocol at this time is the REMOTE protocol.
The relay processing unit (501) of the relay management server (50) relays the communication to the address of the second relay server included in the OPEN_SESSION data set, and also transmits the OPEN_SESSION command.

Then, when SESSION_ID is returned from the second relay server (40), it is relayed to the first relay server (40).
After that, similarly, the FIND_RQ command and the FIND_RSP command can be relayed by being interposed between the first relay server (40) and the second relay server (40).

By introducing a relay management server (50) that performs such relay management, communication with each relay server is possible even if the first relay server (40) and the second relay server (40) are not mutually defined. Allows communication between possible client devices (10) and server devices (20). This makes it easy for a new relay server to participate in the network, and enables the construction of a wide area network.

Also in the system (1′) using the relay management server (50), the CPU (500) includes the relay management unit (502), and the server device (20) included in the data received from the first relay server (40). It is possible to specify the second relay server (40) according to the destination information of (1) and communicate with the specified second relay server.
For this purpose, the external storage device (520) is provided with a second relay server database (521), and the second relay is performed based on the AE title in the DICOM protocol and the destination information included in the data set of the REMOTE protocol based on the AE title. The address of the server (40) can be specified.

Also in the system (1′), the first relay server (40), the second relay server (40), and the relay management server (50) may perform the authentication process.
In this case, either the authentication process for access from the first relay server (40) to the relay management server (50) or the authentication process for access from the relay management server (50) to the second relay server (40) or You can do both.
The relay management server (50) may be provided with its own authentication processing unit (not shown) to restrict access from the first relay server (40). A configuration may be adopted in which the password is simply relayed to the second relay server (40) and the relay management server (50) itself does not perform authentication processing.
(Third embodiment)
FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a photographing device (30) which is the medical data generating device of the present invention. The image capturing device (30) is a well-known medical image capturing device such as CT, MRI, CR, ultrasonic examination device, and endoscope device, and is connected to the CPU (300) that performs various processes as well known. A network interface (310), an operating unit (320) for a doctor or a laboratory technician to operate, and an imaging device (330) for performing an X-ray irradiating unit.

The medical data generating device of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned device as long as it can capture or generate medical data and store the medical data in the server device via the communication network according to the first communication protocol. ..

The CPU (300) is provided with a DICOM protocol transmission/reception unit (301) for transmitting/receiving medical data via the network interface (310) in accordance with the DICOM protocol which is the first communication protocol of the present invention. Also, medical data for storing the medical data photographed or generated by the photographing device (330) in the server device (20) together with the viewer name, the viewer ID, the photographing date and time, the inspection device manufacturer, the inspection device manufacturer name, and the like. The medical data generation processing unit (302) for generating

In the existing in-hospital network, it becomes possible to store medical data in the server device (20) by communicating between the image capturing device (30) and the server device (20) described above. There is.
At that time, as in the first embodiment, it is assumed that the devices in the same LAN are connected to each other in the existing DICOM standard, and the communication by the DICOM communication protocol cannot be smoothly performed between different networks. Since the DICOM standard is changed for each case and information is added and used, there are problems that communication is hindered in part and all information cannot be exchanged.

In the third embodiment of the present invention, a relay server (40') as shown in FIG. 11 is installed in each LAN (2) (3) and connected to each relay server (40') through the external network (4). Communication between the image capturing device (30) and the server device (20) is realized.
Elements of the relay server (40′) that are the same as those described in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

The processing unit in the CPU (400) is roughly divided into a reception processing unit (401′) related to reception from the network interface (410) and a transmission processing unit (402′) related to transmission, and a second relay server. A specific processing unit (403) and an authentication processing unit (404) are provided.
The reception processing unit (401 ′) is a communication establishment request receiving unit (4010 ), a medical data storage request receiving unit (4030 ), and a second communication protocol that function when acting as a first relay server on the side of the imaging device (30 ). A storage result acceptance unit (4031), a second communication protocol medical data acceptance unit (4032), a communication establishment response acceptance unit (4014), a first functioning when acting as a second relay server on the server device (20) side. A communication protocol storage result reception unit (4033) is provided.

The transmission processing unit (402′) also includes a communication establishment request response unit (4020) that functions when acting as a first relay server on the side of the image capturing device (30), a second communication protocol medical data transmission unit (4034), A communication establishment request transmission unit (4022), a medical data storage request transmission unit (4035), and a second communication protocol storage result transmission unit (4036) that function when acting as a second relay server on the server device (20) side. ing.

In the figure, for the sake of distinction, the processing unit acting as the first relay server is shown in a white background, and the processing unit acting as the second relay server is shaded.
In this embodiment, the first relay server and the second relay server are mounted on one relay server (40') at the same time, but in the case of a relay server connected only to the client device, the first relay server It may be configured to include only the function of the server and, in the case of a relay server connected only to the server device, only the function of the second relay server.

Hereinafter, description will be given together with the flowchart of the medical data communication method shown in FIG. 12 and the protocol explanatory diagram shown in FIG.
First, a communication establishment request (ASSOCIATE_RQ) is transmitted from the DICOM protocol transmission/reception unit (301) of the photographing device (30) according to the DICOM standard. According to the normal DICOM standard, the communication establishment request is responded from the server device (20), but in the present invention, instead, the communication establishment request acceptance unit (4010) of the relay server (40') accepts it. (Communication establishment request acceptance step: S30)
Then, the communication establishment request response unit (4020) responds to the communication establishment request (ASSOCIATE_RSP) using the DICOM protocol. (Communication establishment request response step: S31)

Then, a medical data storage request (CSTORE_RQ) is transmitted by the DICOM protocol from the medical data generation processing unit (302) of the imaging device (30). This medical data storage request includes medical data such as a captured image.
The medical data storage request reception unit (4030) of the relay server (40') receives the medical data storage request. (Medical data storage request acceptance step: S32)

In the DICOM standard, various tags are included in the data set of the medical data storage request. For example, inspection date, inspection time, receipt number, Query/Retrieve level, inspection modality, inspection device manufacturer, inspection device manufacturer. Person name, referring physician name, examination description, patient name, patient ID, patient birth date, patient gender, patient age, study instance UID, series instance UID, study ID, series ID, related to patient It includes the number of tests, the number of patient-related series, the number of patient-related instances, the number of test-related series, the number of test-related instances, the number of series-related instances, and so on.

In the present invention, when the medical data storage request is received (S32), the second communication protocol medical data transmission unit (4034) transmits the medical data sent in the medical data storage request to the second relay server. .. (Second communication protocol medical data transmission step: S33)

As in the first embodiment, the second communication protocol (REMOTE protocol) is used for communication between the first relay server and the second relay server as a feature of the present invention. Although the second communication protocol may formally have a part in common with the DICOM protocol, it is a protocol designed for use in communication between relay servers, and it is at least the destination of the second relay server and the second relay server. Information about the destination of the server device (20) connected to the relay server is included.

Then, the second communication protocol medical data receiving unit (4032) of the second relay server receives the medical data using the REMOTE protocol. (Second communication protocol medical data receiving step: S34)
Specifically, first, the first relay server sends an OPEN_SESSION command by the REMOTE protocol, and the second relay server returns SESSION_ID. Then, the medical data is transmitted by the STORE_RQ command.

In the second relay server, the communication establishment request transmission unit (4022) transmits a communication establishment request according to the DICOM protocol to the server device (20). (Communication establishment request transmitting step: S35)
As a result, the communication establishment response acceptance unit (4014) accepts the response to the communication establishment request according to the DICOM protocol from the server device (20). (Communication establishment response acceptance step: S36)

Subsequently, the medical data storage request transmission unit (4035) transmits a medical data storage request (CSTORE_RQ) to the server device (20) according to the DICOM protocol for the medical data received by the medical data storage request reception unit (4030). To do. (Medical data storage request transmission step: S37)

The server device (20) stores the received medical data in the image database (221) in the external storage device (220) by a method similar to the conventional method. Then, the DICOM protocol transmission/reception unit (201) transmits the storage result (CSTORE_RSP) to the second relay server. At this time, the search result includes not only the case where the search is successful but also the case where the search is unsuccessful.
The first communication protocol storage result receiving unit (4033) of the second relay server receives the storage result of the medical data from the server device (20) according to the DICOM protocol. (First communication protocol storage result acceptance step: S38)

The second communication protocol storage result transmission unit (4036) of the second relay server that has received the search result transmits the search result (STORE_RSP) to the first relay server using the REMOTE protocol. (Step of transmitting second communication protocol storage result: S39)
Then, the second communication protocol storage result receiving unit (4031) of the first relay server receives the storage result of the medical data from the second relay server using the REMOTE protocol. (Second communication protocol storage result acceptance step: S40)

Finally, in response to the medical data storage request received by the medical data storage request receiving unit (4030), the medical data storage result (CSTORE_RSP) according to the DICOM protocol is transmitted to the image capturing apparatus (30). (Medical data storage result transmission step: S41)

According to the present invention, as described above, the first relay server (40') communicates with the image capturing device (30) by the DICOM protocol, and the first relay server and the second relay server communicate by the REMOTE protocol. The second relay server (40') and the server device (20) communicate with each other using the DICOM protocol.

According to this configuration, not only the client device that complies with the DICOM standard that can output medical data, but also the medical data is photographed or generated, and the medical data is output to the server device via the communication network according to the first communication protocol. It can also be applied to a medical data generation device that can store the medical data and is compliant with the DICOM standard.

Conventionally, it was impossible for the image capturing device (30) and the server device (20) to communicate with each other between different networks, but according to the present invention, this can be realized without changing the device side.
In addition, for example, even when devices of different manufacturers cannot utilize the expanded DICOM standard, the medical data storage request acceptance unit (4030) of the relay server (40′) can be made compatible with various expanded standards. Communication between devices becomes possible.

Also in the present embodiment, the relay server (40') includes the second relay server identification processing unit (403) and the authentication processing unit (404), and the second relay server is the same as that described in the first embodiment. It is also possible to perform the identification process and the authentication process.

In the above embodiments, the first relay server (40) (40') and the second relay server (40) (40') are described as separate servers connected to the external network (4).
However, in the embodiment of the present invention, these servers may be arranged on the network cloud and the hardware may be configured by one server device. That is, a client server (10) belonging to the LAN (2) of the hospital A, a server device (20), a relay server (40) having jurisdiction over the photographing device (30), and a client device belonging to the LAN (3) of the hospital B. (10), the server device (20), the relay device (40) that controls the image capturing device (30), and the like can be built on the network cloud.

Even in this case, since each relay server independently functions as a virtual server, it is possible to easily operate a plurality of relay servers while saving server management. Further, since it is between virtual servers, it also contributes to shortening the time required for relay processing.

1 Medical data communication system 2 A Hospital LAN
3B Hospital LAN
4 External Network 10 Client Device 20 Server Device 30 Imaging Device 40 Relay Server

Claims (9)

In a medical data communication system capable of communicating medical data including at least image data and using the first communication protocol of the DICOM standard,
A client device conforming to the DICOM standard capable of requesting desired medical data from a server device via a communication network according to the first communication protocol and outputting medical data received from the server device,
In addition to storing the medical data in a storage unit and transmitting the medical data in response to a request from the client device according to the first communication protocol, a server device compliant with the DICOM standard,
A first relay server and a second relay server in the middle of the client device and the server device in the communication network path;
The first relay server is
A communication establishment request receiving unit that receives a communication establishment request according to the first communication protocol from the client device;
A communication establishment request response unit that responds to the client device in response to the communication establishment request,
A medical data search request receiving unit that receives a medical data search request according to the first communication protocol from the client device;
The second relay according to the destination information of the server device extracted by at least one of the communication establishment request receiving unit and the medical data search request receiving unit, the destination information including a unique identifier in the first communication protocol. A second relay server identification processing unit that identifies a server, wherein the destination information includes a unique identifier in the first communication protocol,
A second communication protocol search target transmission unit that transmits the search target requested by the medical data search request to the specified second relay server using a second communication protocol;
A second communication protocol search result receiving unit that receives medical data, which is the search result of the search target, from the second relay server according to a second communication protocol;
In addition to the medical data search result transmitting unit that transmits the medical data search result according to the first communication protocol to the client device in response to the medical data search request received by the medical data search request receiving unit,
The second relay server is
A second communication protocol search target receiving unit that receives the search target from the first relay server using a second communication protocol;
A communication establishment request transmission unit for transmitting a communication establishment request according to the first communication protocol to the server device;
A communication establishment response receiving unit that receives a response to the communication establishment request according to the first communication protocol from the server device;
A medical data search request transmission unit that transmits a medical data search request to the server device according to the first communication protocol for the search target received above;
A first communication protocol search result receiving unit that receives a search result to be searched from the server device according to the first communication protocol;
A second communication protocol search result transmitting section for transmitting the search result to the first relay server by a second communication protocol. In the medical data communication system,
The medical data communication system according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first relay server and the second relay server is provided with an authentication processing unit that authenticates access from the first relay server to the second relay server. In the medical data communication system,
A relay management server is further provided in the middle of the first relay server and the second relay server in the communication network path, and the relay management server,
A relay processing unit that receives the communication from the first relay server and transmits the communication to the second relay server, and also receives the communication from the second relay server and transmits the communication to the first relay server. The medical data communication system according to claim 1, further comprising: The relay management server is
A relay management unit that identifies the second relay server according to destination information of the server device included in the data received from the first relay server is provided, and the relay processing unit communicates with the identified second relay server. The medical data communication system according to claim 3 . A medical data communication method in a medical data communication system capable of communicating medical data including at least image data and using a first communication protocol of DICOM standard,
A DICOM-compliant client device capable of requesting desired medical data from a server device via a communication network according to the first communication protocol and outputting medical data received from the server device,
In addition to storing the medical data in a storage means and transmitting the medical data in response to a request from the client device according to the first communication protocol, a server device compliant with the DICOM standard,
A first relay server and a second relay server are used midway between the client device and the server device in the communication network path,
A communication establishment request acceptance step in which the first relay server accepts a communication establishment request according to the first communication protocol from the client device;
A communication establishment request response step in which the first relay server responds to the client device in response to the communication establishment request,
The first relay server receives a medical data search request from the client device according to the first communication protocol, the medical data search request receiving step;
The first relay server is destination information of the server device extracted in at least one of the communication establishment request acceptance step and the medical data search request acceptance step, and includes the unique identifier in the first communication protocol. A second relay server identification processing step of identifying the second relay server according to the destination information;
A second communication protocol search target transmission step in which the first relay server uses the second communication protocol toward the second relay server, and transmits the search target requested by the medical data search request;
A second communication protocol search object receiving step in which the second relay server receives the search target from the first relay server using a second communication protocol;
A communication establishment request transmitting step in which the second relay server transmits a communication establishment request according to the first communication protocol to the server device;
A communication establishment response acceptance step in which the second relay server accepts a response to the communication establishment request according to the first communication protocol from the server device;
The second relay server transmits a medical data search request for the search target accepted above to the server device according to the first communication protocol.
A first communication protocol search result receiving step in which the second relay server receives a search result of a search target from the server device according to the first communication protocol;
A second communication protocol search result transmitting step in which the second relay server transmits the search result to the first relay server using a second communication protocol;
A second communication protocol search result receiving step in which the first relay server receives medical data, which is the search result of the search target, from the second relay server according to a second communication protocol;
The medical data search result in which the first relay server transmits the medical data search result according to the first communication protocol to the client device in response to the medical data search request received in the medical data search request receiving step . A medical data communication method, comprising: a transmitting step. In the medical data communication method,
A relay management server is further provided in the middle of the first relay server and the second relay server in the communication network path, and the relay management server,
Each of the above steps transmitted by the first relay server and accepted by the second relay server;
The medical data communication method according to claim 5 , further comprising a relay processing step of relaying each communication between each of the steps transmitted by the second relay server and accepted by the first relay server. In a medical data communication system capable of communicating medical data including at least image data and using the first communication protocol of the DICOM standard,
A medical data generation device conforming to the DICOM standard capable of photographing or generating medical data and storing the medical data in a server device via a communication network according to the first communication protocol,
In addition to storing the medical data in the storage means and transmitting the medical data in response to a request from the client device according to the first communication protocol, the server device conforming to the DICOM standard,
A first relay server and a second relay server in the middle of the medical data generation device and the server device in the communication network path;
The first relay server is
A communication establishment request receiving unit that receives a communication establishment request according to the first communication protocol from the medical data generation device;
A communication establishment request response unit that responds to the medical data generation device in response to the communication establishment request,
A medical data storage request receiving unit that receives a medical data storage request including medical data according to the first communication protocol from the medical data generation device;
The second relay according to the destination information of the server device extracted by at least one of the communication establishment request receiving unit and the medical data storage request receiving unit, and the destination information including a unique identifier in the first communication protocol. A second relay server identification processing unit that identifies a server, wherein the destination information includes a unique identifier in the first communication protocol,
A second communication protocol medical data transmission unit that transmits the medical data requested by the medical data storage request to the second relay server using a second communication protocol;
A second communication protocol storage result receiving unit that receives a storage result of the medical data from the second relay server according to a second communication protocol;
A medical data storage result transmission unit for transmitting a medical data storage result according to the first communication protocol to the medical data generation device in response to the medical data storage request received by the medical data storage request reception unit. With
The second relay server is
A second communication protocol medical data receiving unit that receives the medical data storage request from the first relay server using a second communication protocol;
A communication establishment request transmission unit for transmitting a communication establishment request according to the first communication protocol to the server device;
A communication establishment response receiving unit that receives a response to the communication establishment request according to the first communication protocol from the server device;
A medical data storage request transmission unit that transmits a medical data storage request to the server device according to the first communication protocol for the medical data received above;
A first communication protocol storage result receiving unit that receives a storage result from the server device according to the first communication protocol;
And a second communication protocol storage result transmission unit that transmits the storage result to the first relay server using a second communication protocol. In the medical data communication system,
A relay management server is further provided in the middle of the first relay server and the second relay server in the communication network path, and the relay management server,
A relay processing unit that receives the communication from the first relay server and transmits the communication to the second relay server, and also receives the communication from the second relay server and transmits the communication to the first relay server. The medical data communication system according to claim 7 , further comprising: A medical data communication method in a medical data communication system capable of communicating medical data including at least image data and using a first communication protocol of DICOM standard,
A medical data generation device compliant with the DICOM standard capable of photographing or generating medical data and storing the medical data in a server device via a communication network according to the first communication protocol,
In addition to storing the medical data in the storage means and transmitting the medical data in response to a request from the client device according to the first communication protocol, the server device conforming to the DICOM standard,
A first relay server and a second relay server are used in the middle of the medical data generation device and the server device in the communication network path,
A communication establishment request receiving step in which the first relay server receives a communication establishment request according to the first communication protocol from the medical data generation device;
A communication establishment request response step in which the first relay server responds to the medical data generation device in response to the communication establishment request,
The first relay server receives a medical data storage request receiving step for receiving a medical data storage request including medical data according to the first communication protocol from the medical data generation device;
The first relay server is destination information of the server device extracted in at least one of the communication establishment request receiving step and the medical data storage request receiving step, and includes the unique identifier in the first communication protocol. A second relay server identification processing step of identifying the second relay server according to the destination information;
A second communication protocol medical data transmitting step in which the first relay server uses the second communication protocol toward the second relay server and transmits the medical data requested by the medical data storage request;
A second communication protocol medical data receiving step in which the second relay server receives the medical data storage request from the first relay server using a second communication protocol;
A communication establishment request transmitting step in which the second relay server transmits a communication establishment request according to the first communication protocol to the server device;
A communication establishment response acceptance step in which the second relay server accepts a response to the communication establishment request according to the first communication protocol from the server device;
The second relay server transmits a medical data storage request to the server device in accordance with the first communication protocol for the medical data received above;
A second communication protocol storage result receiving step in which the second relay server receives a storage result from the server device according to the first communication protocol;
A second communication protocol storage result transmitting step in which the second relay server transmits the storage result to the first relay server using a second communication protocol;
A second communication protocol storage result receiving step in which the first relay server receives the storage result of the medical data from the second relay server according to a second communication protocol;
Medical data in which the first relay server transmits a medical data storage result according to the first communication protocol to the medical data generation device in response to the medical data storage request received in the medical data storage request reception step . A medical data communication method, comprising: a storage result transmitting step.

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